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The weather decides a lot of things for me. Sometimes winter moves in in October and sometimes it doesn't until December. I try to get a good inspection in between now and the end of October.

Look for adequate stores and make a note of the pollen stores for spring. Try to balance any inequities. A hive with lots of bees will need more stores. One with few bees may need to be combined etc.

Of course, check for Varroa and see how you are doing and if you think they are bad, treat with something. A 24 hour drop test up around 50 would worry me. Also, but don't count on it as your only test, look for varroa on the bees. If you have learned to spot it it isn't so hard to see. If you haven't learned to spot them you won't see any, but I like to look for them anyway. Look for sickly bees. Probably brood rearing has dropped off by this time (here anyway). I'd be worried if it hasn't because they may end up with too many bees. There may still be SOME brood, but there shouldn't be a lot. I'm not sure what I'd do if there was though, except maybe put a little brood in the hives that aren't so strong so they will have some nice young bees coming into fall.

Actually, some years, I wait too long and winter sets in and I just peek in the top and call it good.

I talk about things you can do, but usually, unless things are really out of balance, I just leave them alone.